Save the Monuments

The boundary markers between the U.S. and Mexico are the most important manifestations of the past, present and future of the two nations.

In the years that followed the end of the 1846-48 war between the two nations, the markers were sometimes destroyed by Indians, used by settlers as building materials, or simply shifted by people who saw resources they desired on the other side of the line.

With the passage of time, many monuments became damaged by weather or lightning strikes, and destabilized when their foundations were eroded by natural forces.

Today, human abuse most threatens the monuments. They have been deliberately toppled, plastered by graffiti, buried by construction of irrigation channels, and even stolen!

By longstanding treaty convention, the present-day boundary monuments are regularly inspected, repaired and maintained cooperatively by Mexico’s Comisión de Límites y Aguas (CILA) and the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC). Their work is now more difficult because of the new fortifications on the U.S. side of the border. Many of the markers are hidden from public view behind walls, caged behind fences, or boxed in by massive steel barriers.

The 258 official boundary monuments and the hundreds of smaller markers are remarkably varied in style and location. They stand like silent sentinels commemorating past conflicts, but also symbolizing the connections and friendships that have developed between peoples on both sides of the line. They deserve our support not simply as part of our national memories, but also as a promise of our collaborative futures together.

Gallery of Monuments

About Save the Monuments

Image courtesy of the University of North Texas Digital Library.

Save the Monuments/Salvemos los Monumentos is meant to raise awareness and encourage the conservation of the U.S.-Mexico Boundary Monuments.

The boundary markers are the most important manifestations of the past, present and future of the two nations. In the years that followed the end of the 1846-48 war between the two nations, the markers were sometimes destroyed by Indians, used by settlers as building materials, or simply shifted by people who saw resources they desired on the other side of the line. With the passage of time, many monuments became damaged by weather or lightning strikes, and destabilized when their foundations were eroded by natural forces. Today, human abuse most threatens the monuments. They have been deliberately toppled, plastered by graffiti, buried by construction of irrigation channels, and even stolen!

The 258 official boundary monuments and the hundreds of smaller markers are remarkably varied in style and location. They stand like silent sentinels commemorating past conflicts, but also symbolizing the connections and friendships that have developed between peoples on both sides of the line.

They deserve our support not simply as part of our national memories, but also as a promise of our collaborative futures together.

How You Can Help

Adopting a Monument: The Possibilities

These are some of the ways we can support the monuments. If you have any ideas to contribute, or would like to share your experience with the monuments, contact us.

Adoption by schools on the borderline

Collaborative art project involving local artists and school children
- mural honoring monuments
- ceramic project—sculpting mini-monuments, putting them in classrooms
- poster projects envisioning the future of border/monuments a la Norma Iglesias
Class reports on monument/surveys history/geography
Pen-pal project for students in cities that share a monument
- Classroom pen-pals—did you know about the monument? What are your thoughts on it? Expand discussion into ideas of binational identities/neighbors

Adoption by local businesses

Donate money for monument maintenance
Display plaques/posters of nearby monument(s) in office/shop

Adoption by local government

Getting the govt. on board to support the efforts of people who want to clean/paint/protect monuments
Plaques that say: “10 miles north of this point, Monument No. X resides at the peak of…” – weaving the monuments into the fabric of everyday life

Adopting the monuments not in a monetary sense but in a way that aims to incorporates them into our collective consciousness

Reclaiming the monuments, making them culturally relevant, creating a sense of ownership of the objects

Collecting photos/postcards of monuments from local archives/libraries

Creating Save The Monuments chapters/collectives in different cities

Those who feel passionate about the monuments/live in close proximity to them can volunteer to document them in their current states (photos, drawings, paintings), clean up surrounding debris, re-paint them (govt. permission?)

Creating a Save the Monuments website with historical guide, images and “how to join the movement” information.

Leaving “offerings” at monument sites, honoring their significance (ie wreathes of flowers, small stones) – too much like a cemetery?

Having communities build monument replicas to put in storefronts, schools, etc.

Encouraging people living in monument towns to organize bi-national events around monuments (ie yoga sessions, concerts, religious gatherings, poetry slams, movie screenings).

Write/perform corridos about the monuments / border life

Encourage people to submit their own corridos and display them on website

Why Walls Won’t Work Study Guide

This Study Guide covers the history, present and future of the US-Mexico borderlands, with special emphasis on the growth of the ‘third nation’ between Mexico and the U.S. Both Mexican and U.S. perspectives are considered.

The Guide is organized in eleven chapters, following the book by Michael Dear, Why Walls Won’t Work: Repairing the US-Mexico Divide.

Dowload the PDF

Explore the border

Explore the U.S.-Mexico boundary line with this virtual tour of the borderlands, created by UC Berkeley alumni Claire Evans using Google Earth technology.